Doom

# Doom: Intel Core Ultra X9 388H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile delivers a playable but tiered experience across Doom's resolution ladder. At 4K, the combo hovers between 43 and 71 FPS depending on quality preset, while dropping to 1440p and 1080p unlocks progressively higher frame rates that reach as high as 203 FPS at Low settings. The data shows a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions but begins to show CPU influence at 1080p, where the 16-core Panther Lake processor with a 5.10 GHz boost clock can stretch its legs. This combination ranks 2270th out of 3712 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which aligns with the GPU's 67th percentile standing among all tested graphics cards.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate deltas across resolutions reveal a classic GPU-limited scaling pattern. Moving from 1080p High (149 FPS) to 1440p High (97 FPS) represents a 34.9% drop in performance, while the jump from 1440p High to 4K High (52 FPS) costs another 46.4% of the frame rate. This steep degradation curve is typical of a GPU where the 8 GB GDDR6 memory buffer and 128-bit bus become increasingly strained as pixel count rises. The RTX 4060 Mobile's 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is the likely bottleneck at 4K, where even Low settings (71 FPS) cannot push past the mid-70s.

At 1080p, the scaling between presets tells a different story. The gap between Low (203 FPS) and Ultra (122 FPS) is 39.9%, which is substantial but not as severe as the resolution scaling. This narrower spread suggests that at 1080p, the CPU begins to assert itself — the Ultra X9 388H's 16 threads and 18 MB of shared L3 cache are sufficient to keep feeding the GPU, but the frame ceiling at Low (203 FPS) indicates that neither component is fully maxed out. The 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS is the weakest data point, showing that the GPU's 48 ROPs and 11.61 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput are simply overwhelmed by the 3840x2160 pixel workload.

The 1440p results sit in a comfortable middle ground. Medium settings deliver 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS, which is the only preset in the entire dataset that includes both average and minimum frame data showing a tight 15.8% deviation. This consistency suggests that 1440p Medium is the sweet spot where the GPU still has headroom but the CPU is not yet the limiting factor. The 4K Medium result (62 FPS average, 53 FPS minimum) shows a similar tightness, with only a 14.5% gap between average and minimum, indicating that the bottleneck remains consistent rather than spiking.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a 16-core, 16-thread processor based on the Panther Lake architecture, fabricated on Intel's 3 nm process. Its base clock of 2.10 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz represent a wide frequency range, and the benchmark data shows strong single-thread performance: a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2200.5 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4280. In Doom, which is a 2016-release FPS that typically leverages fewer threads, this single-thread strength is more relevant than the multicore capability demonstrated by the 18911 R23 multicore score.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 88th among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44466, places it just below the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (44573, -0.2% delta) and slightly above the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44342, +0.3% delta). This positioning suggests that the Ultra X9 388H is competitive with top-tier desktop and mobile processors from the previous generation. However, in Doom specifically, the 1080p Low result of 203 FPS appears to be near the CPU's practical ceiling for this title, as the GPU's 67th percentile ranking (PassMark G3D score of 17469) would typically allow for higher frame rates at such a light resolution.

The L3 cache configuration of 18 MB shared, plus 3 MB per core of L2, provides ample on-die storage for Doom's level geometry and texture streaming. The memory bandwidth of 153.6 GB/s from LPDDR5X dual-channel support is modest compared to the GPU's 256.0 GB/s, but for a game like Doom that was designed for the hardware of its 2016 release era, this is not a limiting factor. The data shows that at 1080p Ultra (122 FPS), the CPU is still able to drive the GPU to a respectable frame rate, but the gap between Low and Ultra (39.9%) is smaller than the gap between 1080p and 1440p at the same preset (High: 34.9% drop), indicating that the CPU is starting to become a co-limiter at high preset levels.

FAQ

Q: Does this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K in Doom?

A: Only at Low settings (71 FPS average). Medium settings fall slightly short at 62 FPS, while High (52 FPS) and Ultra (43 FPS) do not reach the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 100+ FPS?

A: 1440p Medium (114 FPS) and 1440p High (97 FPS) are the only 1440p presets that exceed 100 FPS. At 1080p, all four presets (Low 203, Medium 177, High 149, Ultra 122) surpass 100 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ultra X9 388H's average benchmark score of 44466 is 0.2% below the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (44573) and 0.3% above the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44342). It also sits 0.4% above the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 and 0.5% above the Intel Core i5-13600.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the primary bottleneck in Doom at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is still the primary limiter even at 1080p, as the frame rate scales significantly with resolution (203 FPS at Low vs 122 FPS at Ultra). The CPU's 88th percentile ranking indicates it has headroom, but the 203 FPS ceiling at Low settings suggests the combination cannot push much higher.

Q: What is the frame rate consistency at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: The minimum FPS data is only provided for Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 150 FPS (15.3% below the 177 FPS average), at 1440p Medium it is 97 FPS (14.9% below the 114 FPS average), and at 4K Medium it is 53 FPS (14.5% below the 62 FPS average). The consistency improves slightly as resolution increases.

Q: How does this combo's ranking in Doom compare to its overall component percentiles?

A: The combo ranks 2270th out of 3712 tested combos, which puts it in the 38.8th percentile for Doom specifically. This is notably lower than the CPU's 88th percentile and the GPU's 67th percentile, indicating that Doom is not a favorable title for this particular pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured results show a clear quality tier progression. Low settings produce an average of 71 FPS with no minimum or maximum recorded. Medium settings deliver 62 FPS average with a minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS. High settings drop to 52 FPS average, and Ultra settings bottom out at 43 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 28 FPS, or 39.4% of the Low value, showing that quality presets have a moderate impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates improve substantially. Low settings reach 131 FPS average, Medium hits 114 FPS (with 97 FPS minimum and 132 FPS maximum), High achieves 97 FPS, and Ultra produces 79 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 52 FPS, which represents a 39.7% reduction from the Low baseline. The 1440p Medium minimum of 97 FPS is notable because it matches the 1440p High average exactly, indicating that the Medium preset's occasional dips are not severe enough to fall below the High preset's typical performance.

At 1920x1080, the results are the highest in the dataset. Low settings yield 203 FPS average, Medium produces 177 FPS (with 150 FPS minimum and 203 FPS maximum), High reaches 149 FPS, and Ultra hits 122 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra delta is 81 FPS, a 39.9% reduction. The maximum FPS at Medium (203) matches the Low average exactly, suggesting that the GPU can occasionally reach its full potential even at Medium settings, but the average is held back by more demanding scenes.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/avg/max data across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum is 150 FPS and the maximum is 203 FPS, giving a range of 53 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 35 FPS (97 to 132), and at 4K, the range is 18 FPS (53 to 71). This tightening range as resolution increases further confirms that the GPU becomes the dominant constraint at higher pixel counts.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2270 out of 3712 tested combos places this pairing in the lower 39% of all systems tested in Doom. This is a surprising result given that both components individually rank above average — the CPU at the 88th percentile and the GPU at the 67th percentile. The discrepancy suggests that Doom's engine, which was released in 2016, may not fully utilize the modern architecture of the Panther Lake CPU or the Ada Lovelace GPU features such as the 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores.

The GPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance class. The RTX 4060 Mobile's average benchmark score of 22729 is 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895) and 1.3% below the Intel Arc B580 (23021). It sits 0.8% above the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (22549) and 1.3% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22435). This places the RTX 4060 Mobile in a competitive mid-range tier, but for Doom specifically, the combination's ranking indicates that the game's optimization favors other hardware configurations.

The CPU's rivals similarly bracket its position. With an average score of 44466, the Ultra X9 388H is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (44573, -0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44342, +0.3% delta). These are all high-end processors, yet the combo's Doom ranking is middling. This implies that Doom's performance ceiling for this pairing is set more by the GPU's 67th percentile standing than the CPU's 88th percentile, which aligns with the resolution scaling analysis showing GPU-bound behavior.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K gaming, the Low preset at 71 FPS is the only option that clears the 60 FPS bar, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. Medium at 62 FPS is marginally above 60 FPS and provides better image quality with a minimum of 53 FPS, so it is the better choice for those prioritizing a playable experience with some visual upgrades. High and Ultra at 52 and 43 FPS respectively are not recommended for smooth gameplay unless the user accepts sub-60 FPS performance.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 114 FPS (97 FPS minimum) offers the best balance of smoothness and visual quality. High at 97 FPS is also viable for those wanting better graphics, but the average dips below 100 FPS. Low at 131 FPS is the choice for competitive play, while Ultra at 79 FPS is playable but leaves performance on the table. The 1440p Medium minimum of 97 FPS ensures that even intense scenes stay above 90 FPS.

At 1080p, all presets exceed 120 FPS, making any of them suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. Ultra at 122 FPS delivers the best visual experience while still clearing 120 FPS, and Medium at 177 FPS is the recommended preset for those with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors. Low at 203 FPS is the maximum performance option, though the visual downgrade is significant. The data shows that 1080p Medium provides the best overall experience: 177 FPS average, 150 FPS minimum, and a 203 FPS maximum that matches the Low preset's average, indicating the GPU can still stretch to its full potential when scenes allow.